Would you filter?

[shaggy2004]

I feel like this subject must have been covered but I only found one short thread a couple of years old.

So basically I'm planning to hike the PCT this year and am wondering if a filter is something I should strongly consider taking along. I hiked the AT thru in '04 and almost thru in '06 and only used aquamira. All shorter hikes I've done in the east since then have been with aquamira. I've drank some pretty nasty looking, cloudy, beaver pond water but have always been careful to follow the instructions (maybe throwing in a few extra drops) and let it set plenty of time and have never had any ill effects.

My problem is that I have absolutely no idea what to expect on the PCT. I'm mainly concerned about the southern section, of course, where I envision water sources as cattle troughs thick with unknown putrid matter and an occasional dead animal floating around for affect. I'm sure I'm blowing that out of proportion but I really am curious what to expect and whether or not I should be including a filter in my pack.

I've gotten very used to the light and cheap aquamira method and would very much like to stick with it if at all possible. I feel like if I had a filter I would maybe only use it a few times... but then again I guess it only takes one bad source to make you sick and put a big kink in your hiking plans.

What did you guys do/What do you think? Thanks a lot.

[superman]

I carried the MSR mini.

[Chance09]

i'm same question is running thru my head on a daily basis about the PCT next year, only i use bleach not aquamira

[taildragger]

Aquamira.

Filtering can be nice at smaller sketch water sources (cuts down on the floaties)

[Mags]

I used iodine on PCT. Then again, I don't treat all my water.

If you do not treat all your water and/or prefer a more minimalist system, chemicals are the way to go.

If you absolutely want to treat all your water and do it quickly, go with a Steripen. It may not work well on some of more cloudy sources that have floaties. (Use a bandanna). Uses batteries and some users report it as being fragile (Some; not all. )

Want something that is mechanical and not electronic and can filter out the floaties? Go with a filter/purifier.

[garlic08]

Many PCT hikers carry AquaMira, and some use it occasionally. A bandanna will remove the floaties. PCT water is generally good spring water when you can find it. It's been a few years, but I don't remember any really bad sources. The CDT is a different story.

[frisbeefreek]

I carried a filter up to Kennedy Meadows. Waste of weight. Switched to Aqua Mira.

I drank a surprising amount of tap water in the desert - Either caches or towns. Other sources, like the tanks, are relatively clean, and can be easily treated (like Rodriguez Spur Tank, which had dead rodents this year).

Pay attention to the SoCal water report and you'll avoid the really sketchy stuff.

[TwoForty]

Aqua mira plus a homemade filter to filter out the floaties. I'd recommend a bandana and a rubber band for that though. One example is if you take water out of the tank about 15 miles north of Warner Springs, you'll get all sorts of rusty flakes of metal in your water.

Also, consider taking a very small cup to scoop up water from the seriously tiny sources.

[burger]

I used Aqua Mira the whole way. There was only one time the entire trail where I used a bandana to filter water. Save the weight and leave the filter at home.

[mweinstone]

skill sets needed to determine wheather water is safe and what treatments are needed :
understanding water systems and basic pond ecology and all methods of filtering, gathering and storeing.
systematic apraisal of each water sourse .
an understanding of all of the water related heath concerns and treatments
an intuitive and keen primitive gut sence/sharp nose for when water is bad.
i take looking around a source for signs of contamination, along with all my other saftey protocals before drinking wild water, as seriously as saftey checking a weapon before storeing it.

[sbhikes]

Most of the cattle troughs have a pipe where the water is dripping. That water is clean. Even Rodriguez Spring has a nice clean flow of pipe water if you don't mind walking an extra quarter mile or so to find it.

The nice thing about filters is you can pump the water from a tiny puddle you might not be able to scoop water from with a bottle. Or get it out of one of those guzzlers.

And yeah, it's true. You drink a surprising amount of tap water.

[Guy]

I'm going with Aqua Mira filtered through a bandana (when necessary).

Filters always clog and frustrate me. I've never had one not clog on me.

[shaggy2004]

Thanks for all the input. I guess I'm continuing to lean toward aquamira... now supplemented with bandanna filtering when necessary. I just hate the thought of cluttering up my pack with something I'll rarely use (not to mention the extra weight).

...mmm dead rodents you say? Sounds like rat tea or something. I guess I've been spoiled by the beautiful, flowing springs here in the southern Appalachians.

[Guy]

Thanks for all the input. I guess I'm continuing to lean toward aquamira... now supplemented with bandanna filtering when necessary. I just hate the thought of cluttering up my pack with something I'll rarely use (not to mention the extra weight).

...mmm dead rodents you say? Sounds like rat tea or something. I guess I've been spoiled by the beautiful, flowing springs here in the southern Appalachians.

MMmmmmmmm, rat tea (with a touch of lizard carcass!). I can't wait!

[BrianLe]

I'm with the majority consensus on this. I carried a gravity filter for the first 700 miles on the theory that between weird fire tank sources and potentially low flow sources that there might be a lot of places I'd rather filter, but in fact it wasn't that bad. In the Sierras I rarely treated, and used A.M. thereafter; I recall one place (from a prior year) in WA where the water source was a sort of scummy frog-infested pond, but even there you can deal somehow.

Keep it simple, take Aqua Mira. But keep in mind that (last I checked anyway) it's not available for sale in California, you'll need to get it via mail drops.

[Jester2000]

I carried a Katadyn Hiker Pro, along with a bit of iodine as a backup. I found that there were water sources where the filter made it much easier to collect the water.

I remember many sketchy water sources that I will probably think of as wonderful if I ever hike the CDT, including a few where I filtered and then bombed the water chemically.

I'd like to also note that (at least in 2008), I saw many, many people with filters, which doesn't seem to match the overall consensus on this thread.

Finally, at least as of 2008, Aqua Mira could not be legally sold in California, so if you're going to go that route, keep in mind that you'll need to have it shipped to you if you need more.

[Miner]

I know people who got Giardia on the trail so you'll at least want to tread some of your water.

I used the Antigravity Gravity Filter made around the Aqua Mira Frontier Pro filter (you can make your own) for SoCal though it can clog easily so I had to learn a few tricks to keep it from doing so. I changed to Aqua Mira drops at Kennedy Meadows carried it all the way to canada. I used a half dose compared to the directions and waited at least twice as long (something I learned from an UL hiker a few years ago).

I hiked with a guy who used a Steripen and seemed to like it. Others I know carried both a Hiker Pro filter and Aqua Mira for use in different situations. Overall though, I think most people got rid of their filters after SoCal, but not everyone.

[Ender]

I started with a filter, and switched to chemicals pretty early on. Not worth the weight/time to filter, for the most part. I can only think of one water source that I knew for sure was likely suspect. Mostly though, the sources seemed clean. I often didn't treat water once I got up into the mountains and was just fine.

Were I you, I'd carry my preferred chemical, and use it as needed.

[nopain]

I did'nt filter or use anything..... that's just me......

[nopain]

I did'nt fliter or use any thing the whole hike.....that's just me...